>> THE LEADER OF THE U.W. SYSTEM
STEPPED INTO HIS NEW JOB THIS
WEEK.
SYSTEM PRESIDENT JAY ROTHMAN
WILL LEAD 13 UNIVERSITIES ACROSS
26 CAMPUSES AND A STATEWIDE
EXTENSION NETWORK.
HE COMES FROM THE LAW FIRM FOLEY
& LARDNER, WHERE HE WAS C.E.O.
HE SUCCEEDS TOMMY THOMPSON AS
THE EIGHTH PRESIDENT OF THE U.W.
SYSTEM.
WE SHOULD NOTE, PBS WISCONSIN IS
PART OF U.W. MADISON.
WE SAT DOWN WITH ROTHMAN LATE
THIS WEEK AND STARTED BY ASKING
HIS PRIORITIES.
>> WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT 36,000
GRADUATES COMING OUT OF THE
UNIVERSITY EVERY YEAR AND THE
IMPACT THAT THEY ARE HAVING THAT
FOCUS ON STUDENTS IS REALLY
CRITICAL.
YOU KNOW, THE SECOND ONE IS
LOOKING AT AFFORDABILITY.
I'VE ASKED OUR DATA ANALYTICS
TEAM TO REVIEW AFFORDABILITY
FROM TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES.
ONE IS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF
HOW DO WE COMPARE WITH PEER
INSTITUTIONS, AND THEN SECONDLY,
HOW DO WE COMPARE RELATIVE TO
ANY ONE PROSPECTIVE STUDENT'S
INDIVIDUAL ECONOMIC NEEDS?
BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE
KEEP AFFORDABILITY IN MIND, AND
YOU'LL SEE THESE OBJECTIVES KIND
OF TIE INTO EACH OTHER, BUT ONE
OF THE GREAT THINGS WE'LL BE
DOING NEXT WEEK, WE'LL BE
PRESENTING A BUDGET TO THE BOARD
OF REGENTS, THE ANNUAL BUDGET,
AND I WILL BE RECOMMENDING IN
THAT BUDGET A TUITION FREEZE FOR
IN-STATE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
FOR THE COMING SCHOOL YEAR THAT
FOCUS ON AFFORDABILITY.
CERTAINLY THAT HAS BEEN
FACILITATED IN PART BY GOVERNOR
EVERS DIRECTED SOME MONEY TO THE
U.W. SYSTEM FOR THAT PURPOSE,
AND I'M GRATEFUL FOR THAT MONEY
BECAUSE I THINK IT HELPS US
FOCUS ON THAT AFFORDABILITY
PIECE FOR THE UPCOMING SCHOOL
YEAR.
THE THIRD IS TO BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS AMONG THE VARIOUS
STAKEHOLDERS IN THE SYSTEM,
WHETHER THAT BE THE LEGISLATURE,
THE ADMINISTRATION, SHARED
GOVERNANCE, BUT PARTICULARLY
FOCUSED ON -- AND I SHOULD
MENTION STUDENTS IN THAT AS
WELL, BECAUSE THEY ARE REALLY AN
IMPORTANT CONSTITUENCY AND
STAKEHOLDER IN THIS, BUT FOCUS
WITH SOME PARTICULARITY ON THE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND REALLY
ASKING THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY,
WHAT MORE CAN THE SYSTEM DO TO
HELP YOU?
WHAT CAN WE BE DOING, WHETHER
THAT IS THE DEMAND FOR ENGINEERS
OR THE DEMAND FOR NURSES, OR
RE-SKILLING AND UPSKILLING OF
ADULT LEARNERS, THAT LIFELONG
LEARNING CONTINUUM THAT I THINK
IS GOING TO BE MORE AND MORE
PREVALENT IN OUR SOCIETY GOING
FORWARD.
ALL OF THAT IS ABSOLUTELY
CRITICAL TO THE VIBRANCY OF THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN.
WE WANT EMPLOYERS TO BE ABLE TO
FIND THE TALENT HERE SO THAT
THEY CAN GROW HERE AND NOT FEEL
THAT THEY HAVE TO GROW SOMEWHERE
ELSE.
I WANT TO BUILD THOSE
RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE BUSINESS
COMMUNITY.
AND LAST IS A FOCUS ON
DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION.
AND I BREAK THAT DOWN INTO A
VARIETY OF DIFFERENT BUCKETS.
ONE IS DEALING WITH PROSPECTIVE
STUDENTS FROM UNDERREPRESENTED
GROUPS.
AND MAKING SURE THAT THERE IS A
PATH FORWARD FOR THEM.
AFFORDABILITY IS A BIG PIECE OF
THAT.
STUDENT FOCUS IS A BIG PIECE OF
THAT.
BUT WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE
THAT THEY FEEL THAT THEY BELONG.
AND THEY ARE PART OF THE
UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY.
WHATEVER OF THE 13 UNIVERSITIES
THEY HAPPEN TO BE OR WHATEVER
CAMPUS THEY HAPPEN TO BE ON,
THAT IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT
AND A DRIVING FORCE, AND WE ALSO
HAVE TO SUPPORT THEM IN THEIR
JOURNEY, BECAUSE IT IS
UNCONSCIONABLE TO ME TO SAY,
WELL, WE RECRUIT THEM AND THEN
THEY'RE ON THEIR OWN.
THAT'S NOT FAIR.
THEY HAVE TO BE SUPPORTED ALONG
THE WAY AND WE HAVE TO HAVE THE
RESOURCES TO HELP THEM SO THAT
THEY CAN SUCCEED.
THAT'S ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL.
AND IT'S NOT JUST RACIAL AND
ETHNIC DIVERSITY.
IT'S ALSO SOCIOECONOMIC
DIVERSITY.
SO THAT WE TOUCH ALL PARTS OF
THE STATE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT'S
GOING TO MAKE THE STATE STRONGER
AND BETTER.
SO THAT'S THE STUDENT PIECE.
AND THEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE
FACULTY AND STAFF, AND THEN YOU
THINK ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF
THE UNIVERSITIES AND OF THE
SYSTEM ITSELF, BUT THAT WE ARE
FOCUSED, AND DIVERSITY, EQUITY
AND INCLUSION BECOMES SOMETHING
THAT'S NOT SET TO THE SIDE BUT
IT IS PART AND PARCEL OF EVERY
DECISION WE MAKE GOING FORWARD.
SO THOSE ARE THE FOUR PRIORITIES
THAT I HAVE SET FOR MY
INITIAL -- FOR THE START OF MY
TENURE.
>> OUTGOING U.W. MADISON
CHANCELLOR REBECCA BLANK SAID,
BEFORE SHE LEFT, THAT POLITICAL
POLARIZATION IN WISCONSIN IS THE
GREATEST EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO
AT LEAST THE FLAGSHIP
UNIVERSITY, IN HER MIND.
WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?
>> I THINK, YOU KNOW, CHANCELLOR
BLANK DID EXTRAORDINARY THINGS
FOR U.W. MADISON.
I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR HER.
I THINK WE NEED TO FOCUS, AND
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE POLITICAL
POLARIZATION, I TAKE ONE STEP
BACK FROM THAT AND SAY, I HAVE
TO BELIEVE THAT WE ALL WANT WHAT
IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN.
WE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS
ABOUT HOW WE GET THERE, BUT
LET'S START WITH THAT BASIC
PREMISE, THAT EVERYONE SITTING
IN THE LEGISLATURE, EVERYONE
SITTING IN THE ADMINISTRATION,
OUR CITIZENRY, OUR RESIDENTS
WANT WHAT IS BEST FOR THE STATE
OF WISCONSIN.
IF WE START THAT AS OUR NORTH
STAR, THAT'S WHAT WE OUGHT TO BE
FOCUSED ON.
THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO FOCUS ON.
THEN WE CAN HAVE CONSTRUCTIVE
CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE GET
THERE.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE PLAN TO DO.
AND I WOULD TAKE IT ONE STEP
FURTHER THAN THAT, BECAUSE I
THINK WHEN YOU THINK OF -- YES,
IS THERE POLARIZATION IN THE
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT THESE
DAYS?
YES, I DON'T THINK THAT'S
UNDENIABLE.
BUT, WHAT CAN UNIVERSITIES DO TO
HELP WITH THAT?
AND WE TALK ABOUT FREEDOM OF
EXPRESSION AND CIVIL DIALOGUE.
THE UNIVERSITIES HAVE ALWAYS
BEEN AND NEED TO CONTINUE TO BE
THAT PLACE WHERE THE MARKETPLACE
OF IDEAS IS DISCUSSED.
WITHOUT SOMEONE BEING TAINTED OR
LABELED BY THEIR PERSPECTIVES,
THAT IDEAS, CONCEPTS CAN BE
DISCUSSED IN AN OPEN, FREE AND
FRANK MANNER, REGARDLESS OF
WHICH YOUR POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
HAPPENS TO BE.
THE UNIVERSITIES CAN BE GREAT
EXAMPLES OF HOW WE CAN FORWARD
THAT DISCUSSION GOING FORWARD.
WE'RE WORKING ON SOME THINGS
AROUND CIVIL DIALOGUE AND
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AT THE
SYSTEM RIGHT NOW THAT WE CAN
HELP TO SUPPORT THE UNIVERSITIES
THAT ARE ALREADY FOCUSED ON
THIS.
THEY'RE DOING A GOOD JOB.
HOW CAN WE DO A BETTER JOB TO
DISCUSS ISSUES THAT ARE
CRITICAL, THAT ARE HARD, THAT
ARE NUANCED, THAT ARE
SOPHISTICATED, NOT SUBJECT TO
SOUNDBITE, NOT SUBJECT TO TWEET,
BUT REQUIRE DEEP THOUGHT.
BECAUSE A LOT OF THINGS HAPPEN
IN THAT.
ONE LEARNS HOW TO THINK
CRITICALLY.
ONE LEARNS HOW TO THINK
ANALYTICALLY.
ONE'S VIEWS EVOLVE AS YOU HEAR
DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS BATTED BACK
AND FORTH.
THAT'S IMPORTANT.
AND OUR STUDENTS ARE REALLY,
REALLY SMART.
THEY'LL BE ABLE TO ASSIST IN
WHAT THEY'RE HEARING AND MAKE UP
THEIR OWN MINDS AND THAT'S WHAT
THE UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE OUGHT
TO BE.
>> THE FULL LENGTH INTERVIEW
WITH JAY ROTHMAN CAN BE FOUND
ONLINE AT PBSWISCONSIN.ORG.